SOFIE: Special Cases
by TheModernChromatic
Summary: Sofie Hart is a young girl with one mission:Captured the famed boy-genius, Artemis Fowl. This may prove harder than she thought...Rated T mild to crude language. Note: This story has been edited based on reviews;most flaws in the beginning were fixed l8r
1. Shrubs, sedatives, and bodyguards

Anxiously, I knot my fingers together, feeling the moisture of my palms slick the insides of my leather gloves. I must not back out now! No, not when I was so close. If I were to reach out, I could touch him, just pull him into the bushes with me. I'd cover his mouth so he wouldn't make a noise, and maybe, just maybe, his nasty bodyguard wouldn't notice. The man was more of a brutish ape than a man, and that was putting it nicely. He looked as though he could kill any normal man with a flick of his wrist. I'm sure I wasn't far off, but this was nothing new. I'd seen all the bodyguards of the most important and smartest people in the world. Why should this 'Artemis Fowl,' a mere, magic-obsessed boy, be any different? Not even the likes of his prestigious father had been in possesion of a bodyguard that was any sort of a match for me.

They might be huge and strong, but I'm small, fast, and seeing a little grey-eyed, golden-haired, baby-faced fourteen year old girl is always startling. By the time they snap out of their trances, I'm already racing away with whatever prize I'm after. This time, it's me against a very educated, handsome young man whom is notorious for scheming his way out of various situations. But what can a boy like him do in a level seven containment chamber? No one had been known to ever escape even a level six, and that's some serious shit right there. No one had ever been known to even _make_ anything beyond level six, excepting me of course. I'd rigged mine so that no one could even teleport of out that baby, and lemme tell ya, that was some task. I had everything I needed to keep my little bird in the cage; all I had to do was capture my lovely Fowl, and then I'd have everything play out as it should.

My chest heaves as I exhale to such an extent that I fear I will be discovered, waiting in the bushes with several sedatives disguised in my sleeve. Even for a baby-faced fourteen year old girl no taller than five feet, that didn't look so great. I simply stood my ground and growled to myself at my great luck of being stuck in a bush with my target so close to me. I long to strike my prey and just get it over with, but that was illogical. I had to wait for the signal, that's all. I had to wait in a shrub in the middle of July at the Fowl estate in Ireland, hot sweat dripping all over me in my little green dress. Green, Rasta had said, would do two things for me: one, hide me in the bushes where I was needed, and two, compliment my eyes. Of course, I'd nixed the spiked heels he'd insisted went well with the dress and pulled on some soft faded olive-toned leather boots in their place. The feel of leather against my toes was reassuring, just enough for me to hold my position for a bit longer. Despite my being veiled by a shrub, I saw the signal, a man dabbing his forehead with a bright red handkerchief and then neatly folding it into another pocket and every muscle in me tensed. With a bang and a gasp from the now-astonished party guests, the lights went out and I sprung.

In the dark, Butler's eyes combed vainly at his surroundings, a knife drawn to avoid too much noise, and I make my advance. I dive for his legs and catch him in his massive, gorilla-worthy thigh with my sedative injection. He falls like a rock without a sound, and it's all I can do to catch him with my portero ray gun (my own personal anti-gravity invention) and make sure no one hears the distinct thud. Nightvision glasses in place, I peer about the room for Artemis, who seems to have repositioned himself elsewhere. Finally, I spot him beneath a table that wasn't too far from my spot in the brush. I catch the base of his neck with the sedative and hoist him out from under the table.

Less than a minute later, I am miles away from the party at the estate, Butler is asleep in a closet, and the aloof Artemis (whose standoffish-ness prevented anyone at that party from missing him) was asleep in the back of the car I was now riding shot gun in. Yet another minute would go by, and the lights would turn back on and everyone would murmur about the strangeness of it all, rejoice in being able to see again, and go back to celebrating. No one would notice Artemis's absence until long after he (and I) were gone without trace. I peered at him over the shoulder of my seat and reassured myself with his sleeping face. It's a thrilling, thrilling feeling to see one of my prizes safely where they belong, and I can't help but think, _Well, you've done it, Sofie, you captured Artemis Fowl. Mission accomplished._

Oh, how naive I can be...


	2. Sweet Mama!

Special thanks to Faeiry-girl, who subscribed to my story and inspired me to add another chapter! Please review!

*******

"Sofie, hon, where ya been?" Asks mama as I walk through the door, as if she doesn't know. Lefty comes in behind me, all scars and muscles, with our sedated captive over his shoulder. He grunts and heads off to the back room, where my level seven containment chamber is waiting to be started up. I give mama a half smile and take a seat at the computer beside hers.

"Oh, you know, mama. Just out having a great time like I always do. With all those new drugs to try, who wouldn't?" Mama laughs a bit and reclines in her chair. She isn't really my mother, but everyone calls her mama, just because she's ridiculously sweet and nurturing for someone in our buisness. That, and she seems to be in control of everyone, even the meat-hunks like Lefty. With a few huffs, the big man came back through the door, huffing and puffing like a wimp.

"For a skinny, weenie of a boy-genius, that little fucker is heavy!" He growls, and plops down on the couch nest to my chair. Mama gives him a chastising, disappointed look and raps him on his egg-bald, yet incredibly scarred head.

"Romello!" She harps, using his full name for her benefit, "Don't use that sort of language in my house!" She shakes her head and whaps him with a newspaper lying on the desk by the computer. He flinches before it even hits him, and I laugh to see such a sight. Mama is in her mid-forties, and is an itsy-bitsy Latina sweetie no taller than four feet and nine inches, and Lefty is at least six feet tall, and is muscular enough to put most pro-wrestlers to shame. Not to mention, he can sit mama on his shoulder comfortably.

"Owieeee..." Lefty whines, and he cringes in his chair as mama walks out of the room. He stares after her and then turns to me. "Alright, smarty-pants. The little fucker is all yours."

I smile and head off to the room with my captive and almost make it there before I hear mama yelling at the top of her lungs.

"ROMELLO! I HEARD THAT!" Followed by her heeled shoes clicking as she stormed in from the kitchen. Lefty grabs his car keys and bolts out the door, and I am left to attend to my prisoner while mama mutters in spanish and Lefty's tires screech on the open road. That's family for ya.

The famed, untouchable, prestigious, brilliant, almost-worshipped boy-genius Artemis Fowl is slumped in a reclined chair with drool all down his chin. Real classy, Einstein, real classy...

I strap on my gloves and goggles and fire up my computer, then my neuro-beam, then I set the perimeter for the chamber. I glance at mister drooling genius and shut the door behind me, turn out the lights and program my neuro-beam. It's dead silent, mama having gone back to her work in the kitchen, other than my humming neuro-beam. I stare at Artemis, then glance back to my moniter and hit the enter key with excessive drama.

_Sweet dreams, my drooling genius. _I think, and then the neuro-beam hits him squarely in the forehead.


	3. A River of Schemes

(Sorry if these dedications bore you. You can skip them if you want)

To my first reviewer, Wolfy, (WolfButler), Thanks for the encouragement,

Honorable mention to The Only Weirdo, who is bringing me to my senses, (I'll be sure to screw her up a little more. I have a "Mary-Sue" issue, it seems)

And to RealitySwitcher and Nosuchthingashappilyeverafter who seem to like it, along with The One Called Demetra who is assisting The Only Weirdo in constructive criticism.

Btw, anyone who would like to beta for me, I'd love that. Thanks for the reviews!

*******

The thing about neuro-beams is that they're ridiculously loud and quite painful to the person being beamed. Often times, they'll scream, (even if they're heavily sedated on my toxic mix of what mama calls "super K-O juice") which only adds to the noise. Needless to say, with the full beaming process going on for about ten minutes, I left within the first minute to save myself a major headache and a lot of Tylenol.

I shut the door to my back-room lab and slump against it, thankful for the fact that mama's antics caused me to sound-proof it so I could work late without alerting her. It made it a hell of a lot easier to forget that one of the most brilliant young minds the world had ever seen was beyond my door, screaming bloody murder. I rub my eyes with the heels of my palms and peel myself away from the door. I glance back at the chrome finish of my door once more and stride to the kitchen, hoping mama has made something decent today.

"Mama!" I shout, just as I come through the entryway leading to the kitchen, "What's for din-"

I start my question hungrily, but leave it hanging in the air when I see that mama isn't in the kitchen at all. Instead, the mysterious River is sitting at the table, nibbling on toast and reading an old newspaper I was going to use to line the cage where I keep my pet/labrats.

"What's shakin', eggs and bacon?" River asks, throwing her silver-tipped hair over her shoulder, not bothering to look up from her paper. River always knew when someone entered the room, even when she was asleep. But then, I'd also been yelling for mama, so there was an excuse for my lack of stealth.

"Oh, nothing," I mutter, a little disappointed that the ever-so-amazing enchantress is back in the flesh this time. "I'm testing my level seven containment chamber on my first prisoner right now, but I left 'cause he was screaming like a little girl."

River snorts and gazes over her paper to meet my eyes. She squints skeptically and swallows a mouthful of toast.

"Who have _you_ managed to capture that you can test your beam-y thing on? Barney? Mickey Mouse? Really, Sofie. You're fourteen. The only person that would willingly submit to be your guinea pig is some rapist off the street." River takes another bite of her toast and smacks loudly this time as she chews because she _lives_ to piss me off.

I lift my chin a little and stick out my chest bravely as I return her smirk and proudly answer:

"Artemis Fowl Jr."

River chokes a bit on her toast and blinks at me wide-eyed. After she finishes coughing, she spits her toast into a napkin and guffaws so loudly I think for a split second that my neuro-beam is malfunctioning. River bangs the manicured fist on the little round table and takes in a huge, gasping breath.

"_You_ captured _Artemis Fowl_? As in, _the_ Artemis Fowl? What have you been smoking lately?"

River throws her head back and laughs again, this time so that tears stream down her face, ignoring her perfect mascara-job.

"Lemme guess, you asked him if he wanted to buy some girl-scout cookies and cried until he agreed to go to the car with you where you had Lefty punch the living daylights out of him? Or did you pretend you lost your puppy? And what of his bodyguard? Did you hurl him into outer-space when he tried to get in the way?"

She wipes at her eyes with a tissue and finishes two things: laughing and insulting me.

"You couldn't have captured him if he walked in here and sat down on your little nerd chair in your freak-room. You're just a kid." I frown, close my eyes and rub my face with my hand. I take a deep breath, lean against the counter and grab a knife from the sink. As best as I can, I hurl it at River and close my eyes, hoping it's hit its mark in the wall behind her head. I open my eyes wearily and see that she's caught it, the blade embedded up to its hilt in her half-eaten toast.

"You can't even throw a decent knife," she growls, and tosses her toast down on her plate, "How do you expect me to believe you got past Artemis's brute of a bodyguard?" My shoulders fall a little and I sit down at the table opposite her. I bow my head submissively and scratch my nose. I sniff loudly and look back up at her gleaming, evil face.

"Well, I did okay. I hid in the bushes at the estate and sedated him and his bodyguard when Rico hit the lights. Then I dragged Artemis to the car and we drove off. It was simple, really." River looked at me skeptically again and leaned her chin on one of her perfect little hands.

"Is that so?" Was all she said, her eyes filled with laughter. She and I kept one another's gaze and didn't speak for a long time. Finally, her expression changed and her eyebrows rocketed to her hairline.

"How did you get rid of Butler? He was unconcious, wasn't he? A big man like that passed out on the ground would've really roused some attention. Tell me, o superior one, how you managed to take care of that little detail." She's sure she's got me cornered now--I can see it in her gleaming hazel eyes--but I breathe easily and weave my fingers into my hair nonchalantly when I respond.

"Oh, but he was never left lying on the ground. Once I had him out, I made sure he didn't hit the ground too loudly and dragged him to a closet."

River's perfect brows came together in the middle of her perfect forehead. She tapped her perfect nails on the table and hit me with another evil gaze.

"You caught a giant six-foot-something, three-hundred something pound man before he could hit the ground and dragged him to a closet? And then you scooped up a seventeen year old boy like a baby and carried him out to Lefty?" She shook her head and creased her brow again. "I don't believe you."

"Well it wasn't exactly easy!" I protest, rising to my feet this time. "And besides. I'm not stupid. I'm barely fourteen! I used my portero ray to carry him to the closet and to heave Artemis over my shoulder. It's not like I lifted them over my head."

"Uh-huh," River murmured, still not convinced, "And I suppose you expect me to believe that you caught his bodyguard with the portero ray too? Don't make me laugh. Even you wouldn't have thought of that until afterwards. You're on steriods again, aren't you?" She launched herself across the table and grabbed my arm. Her fingers traced the tell-tale punctures and she grinned like the Joker.

"Please don't tell mama! She'll kill me! I just did it so I could have a bit of an advantage for this case! Please, River!" I know my pleas are mostly in vain, but if I could I would get River to forget about this until she had somewhere better to be. River never stayed at the base camp for long.

"Alright." She says, surprising me. I top struggling against her hands.

"What?" I say, entirely confused. Did I just hear her right?

"I won't tell her. But on two conditions. The first one: You stop taking the steroids. I'm the only chick in the division allowed to be freakishly strong." Of course, I think. River is so painfully conceited. I swallow emptily before I ask her about her second demand. Her expression lightens, then grows scheming.

"I want in."


	4. Oh, Lordy, that's a wall!

(Sorry if this bores you. Feel free to skip)

Alright, guys, I know Sofie is a total Mary Sue. If you've read the other reviews, you'd know that I've already heard that (Several...different...times.)

Please focus on something else. I'll fix it somehow.

Btw, thanks to Gertie-Wallace for subscribing, and Wolfy, darling, it's always great to hear from you! (I love thanking people individually. :])

I've changed my pen name for various reasons, but the biggest one was that it now matches my fictionpress account, so if you feel like checking out some of my non-copy-cat works, feel free. I'll have some things posted soon.

Love you all, TheModernChromatic.

*******

Of course, you can't refuse someone's demands with your life on the line. It's just not ethical. Unless of course, their demand is that you kill yourself or something of the like. At which point, you're going to die anyways, so, you might as well choose the less painful way. For me, this was letting River in on my idea with Artemis. Granted, that was pretty painful, but no one wants to be on mama's bad side....

Luckily, Artemis was still out cold by the time the neuro-beam was finished, but, well, River was River. And water can get through a level seven containment chamber and land on unsuspecting sleeping geniuses with ease. Oh, River... you never fail to be cliche.

"River!" I cry, and pry the empty bucket away from her. She smirks at me as my prisoner awakes and shouts incoherent things at empty space. I feel the need to back up as he does so.

Finally, he rubs his eyes and sees the two of us, young (River being in her early twenties), muscular and leather-clad (more so River than myself of course) and he pushes himself against the wall behind him. River gives a sultry grin, even though he's younger than her. I roll my eyes. Oddly enough, Artemis isn't afraid, or at least he doesn't show it. He seems a bit impressed, and almost flattered. I wonder what goes through his head for a brief moment, and then decide that I don't even want to know.

"So," He begins, cooly, "You've managed to capture me. To whom to I owe the respect of such a task?" He gives an evil, chilling grin that rivals even River's best. His two, mismatched eyes dart about the room, a flicker of warm hazel and electric blue. Creepy...

I clear my throat. "Uh, that'd be me. I captured you." I try to smile some, but I'm sure I've failed.

The look of suprise on his face is eminent, though he covers it quickly.

"I suppose I shouldn't be suprised, after all society's youth is overcoming its elders rapidly, but how old could you possibly be? Why, you're just a baby. And this lab? It's certainly more than anyone could've expected in these situations." His emphasis on 'situations' make the hair on the back of my neck rise. Everything about this guy is driving me up a wall.

"I'm fourteen, thank you. I've been genetically altered so that I advance far beyond human capabilities." I say, matter-of-factly.

"Not to mention she took steriods." River mutters, eying the punctures in my arms.

"That's _some_ juice if you managed to take out Butler. Pray, tell how you did such a thing."

"Uh, well, for one, I got him with a sedative when my inside man hit the lights. Certainly you remember that much. I used my portero ray --an anti-gravity ray, that is-- and moved him to a closet. It's my own special for the sedative; you probably wouldn't be awake if the neuro-beam hadn't totally fried the neurotoxins in it." I manage to smile this time, because mama never lets me tell anyone about my inventions.

"She also mixes her own steriods and harvests her own weed," River scoffs. I feel like cuffing her on the back of the head, but she always strikes back faster than I can duck. And she's not even genetically enhanced.

"I don't grow weed," I growl.

"You gave me neurotoxins?" Artemis exclaims, searching himself for my puncture fearfully.

"Don't worry. They're totally safe. I watered them down enough to where the paralysis is temporary. You can move, can't ya? Well, it's my juice. One drop is enough to knock out a full-grown man for at least two days. I highly doubt Butler is even awake yet."

"So you're just some sort of super-human, super-brilliant freak? You bore me."

It's so blunt that I am taken aback by how honest it is, coming from a deceitful, world-class criminal. Boring? How can a super-human like me be boring? It's so dreadfully honest that I just stare blankly at River, who fills in the silence.

"You're not the only one." River smiles at me and I slowly come back to my senses.

_Focus Sofie! You have a job to do! _I tell myself, and breathe in slowly. Suddenly, I've forgotten my plan of action. Artemis fills the room with his generally bored aura.

"Did you want something from me, or were you just going to bring me here to see if you can do it?" He asks as he gets to his feet. "Because if you don't have something in mind, I'll be on my--"

But he doesn't finish. Three things cut him off. Two are girls yelling at him to stop, and the third is my adjustments on his cerebellum with my neuro-beam. Once he hits the perimeter of the small square I've set as his prison, he stops abrubtly. It has the effect of him walking straight into a wall, but it's as undetected as an invisible fence. He falls back on his butt and rubs his forehead.

"What the hell was that?" He asks, stunned. I blush a little. Boring super-human my ass.

"_That_ would be my level seven containment chamber you just tried to walk out of."

He tilts his head.

"Level seven?"

"Yeah, level seven. A level six won't hold someone like you, are you kidding me? You could break those things with a rock!"

"True, true. But what makes this a level seven?" He asks, and I feel cornered. I never liked giving away my secrets. But River, well, River never cared. As I shuffle my feet, she fills in the gaps.

"It's cerebral. You couldn't break it if you tried. It's like an electic dog fence. Once you hit the perimeter, you get a little zap. I don't think you could even _teleport_ outta this thing. It's an imaginary box."

"So, it's just an illusion?"

"It's more a mindset," I say, regaining my voice, "It's drilled into your mind that you can't walk through the walls, so your body is unable to do so. It's full-out hypnotism."

Artemis snorts a laugh and sits back, then kicks one foot over the other casually.

"So all I have to do is un-hypnotize myself? Well, ladies, it was nice meeting you, but I have buisness to take care of." He addresses us promptly, then mutters to himself, "Invisible walls. Pshaw. This should be simple."

"Au contrair, mon frair!" I cry out, and he jumps a bit. "This is a level seven. The very existence of its walls is drilled into a part of the human mind that not even you, or even I use. It's inaccessable, thus, you cannot free yourself. But have fun trying." I smirk. This guy is really getting under my skin.

"If you insist. I must play prisoner then," He sighs, and paces about within walls he doesn't even know of. He stops suddenly, then turns to me and spits out a mouthful of words before disappearing to my lab bathroom, which is within his perimeter so he doesn't ever get let out.

"You know what they say," an echo of his voice mocks, "Here today, gone tomorrow."


	5. The Giant Awakes

(My dear avid readers, you know you can skip this...)

Special thanks to Kumajiro-is-Edible; it's always nice to get people who subscribe. :)

And thank you to sunkissedvampire, because I love reviews. :D (And emoticons. Rock on.

\m/(*_*)\m/)

Love you all, TheModernChromatic.

*******

"Ugh. Sofie? When are we going to get what we want from this little string bean? I'm tired of waiting, and you know what we've gotta ask! Just do it already!" River whines and hits a fist on the outside of the door to my lab. I sigh, annoyed, and turn around to face her where she is pacing about the outside of my lab.

"You know we have to wait. He's not going to say anything if we come at him like savages. Just. Wait." I grind my teeth and resume my examination of a crack in my coffee mug. I close my eyes and take a whiff of the stuff so that the bare scent makes me wrinkle my nose. Black coffee. Bleh.

River continues to storm about the space around the door to my lab (which isn't going to open without a fingerprint, voice activation, and retinal scan from me) while I run my fingers over the crack in my coffee mug and stare blankly at a bowl of oatmeal. I hate breakfast. All of it.

"Sofie. We have to say something, and now. We've had him for a week, which means Butler has been awake for at least four days and by now he's alerted everyone he knows about Artemis disappearing. We can't just keep him forever." River has stopped pacing and is now eying me very seriously. I grab the handle of my mug and take a swig enough to burn my tongue and the roof of my mouth.

"Ah...." I hiss as the pain sets in, "Bleh," I spit, and then address River. "You wanna go through with the interrogation, be my guest. But we have to be subtle, and we can't hurt him. Besides, that, you'll be fine, after all, his IQ is only triple yours. That's not too much of a gap..." I growl, and run my burned tongue over various places in my mouth.

River gives me a look that makes me want to sleep somewhere locked up and safe. Then she grabs the remains of my coffee and I hear the mug splash and shatter as my arms fly up to defend my face.

"Coffee's gone," she stares after it, aptly bored, and then turns back to me, "We'll give the garbage you're trying to down to the prisoner. 'Kay?" She snatches my bowl and my arm and pulls me to the lab door. I yawn and stretch, then rub my eyes and begin my scanning sequences to open the door.

***Four Days Prior***

Butler awakes in the dark of the closet with a groan as he tries to remember what had happened. His eyes water a bit and he blinks slowly. _There was a party..._he rubs his face with a massive hand..._and there was a lot of people...and..._with a jolt, Butler remembers what he's forgetting.

"Artemis!" He shouts out loud and bursts through the closet door, which barely opens in time. His feet slip on the expensive rugs about the mansion as he runs frantically back to the courtyard where he last knew Artemis to be, shouting his name the whole time. He stops abrubtly at the emptiness of the Ireland morning sun reflecting in the wake of his failure. His huge shoulders slump a bit and he dashes back to the mansion, praying that Master Artemis was safely in its great walls.

He thunders past one of the maidservants and then promptly back-tracks.

"You there! Girl!" He shouts, and the little maid jumps at the boom of his voice and holds a fragile hand to her collarbone as it to say, 'Me?' "Yes, you girl! Have you seen Master Artemis about recently?" The frail girl hesitates as she tries to remember, having been hired for her work and not her brains, she struggles.

"Oh," she says in a tiny voice, "Well, let's see. I haven't seen him since before the party. He was yelling at me for not getting any clean towels in his bathroom. I never saw him after that. You weren't about either, so I assumed you'd just gone with him on another aimless adventure." She tucks her chin into her chest to avoid making eye contact with the large man.

Butler grunts and storms away to begin a search in vain for Artemis. After about and hour of this, he gives up and retires sulleny to the courtyard where the Irish sun now sits proudly in the afternoon sky. Butler sits and presses his giant hand together and then sets his face against them in defeat. He sits this way for a matter of minutes before looking up and noticing something out of the ordinary stuck to some of the shrubs that adorned the edges of the courtyard.

Slowly, he rises and saunters over to them, hope bubbling up inside him again. With haste, he snatches up the abnormal object on the brush and holds it to his face.

Between his massive fingers, is a thin strip of green fabric, a delicate kind that almost shimmers in the light.


	6. The Great Master Plan

(Blah, blah, blah. Skip if you please.)

This chapter is kind of random, but I was feeling heartbroken, so at least Sofie should get a guy. But I think he helps set up the plot more. Sofie's too closed. She needs someone to help her open up.

Thanks to the ever-awesome Wolfy, and AngelzFromHell for your support.

And thank you to all of my reviewers. I'd love to get more! Please feel free to review.

Love you all, TheModernChromatic.

*******

I'm woken from my table-top nap with a start as the door to our little hide-out slams loudly. I jump so much that I fall off the table and wonder why I ever chose to nap there anyways. On the ground, I rub my eyes, wonder what time it is, then rub my sore butt that I'd managed to fall on, then I wonder what day it is. I blink several times and stand and stretch, groaning at my aches. Then I remember that the thing that woke me from my nap was the slamming of the door. Shit. I grab a knife from the kitchen where I'd decided to nap and cautiously head to the main room.

What I see makes me drop the knife and run for my life.

Before my sleep-deprived form is someone who's company I have craved for an eternity, someone who completes me and still has enough to make everyone else in the room glow. The _only_ someone I dare to say I love. Valor .

I drop my knife and run right for him, grinning like a fool. We crash together and he scoops me up like a child.

"Valor !" I cry, and he nuzzles my face with his. I feel like a weakling for this, but I don't care.

"Sofie, my sunshine, my belle, mi muneca, ma petite chou!" This actually makes me giggle. I haven't heard his voice in nearly six months, and his foreign endearments make me smile wider. We break out embrace and step apart, hands linked together.

Then, I notice he's not alone. Behind him is his jerk of an older brother, Simon. Out of nowhere, River explodes into the room and throws herself at Simon. Of course, River probably knew it was them before they even stepped out of whatever vehicle took them here. She was River afterall. I grip Valor 's hand tighter, because the sight of them together terrifies me. Alone, they're monsters, together...well, that's another story.

Valor takes me aside and smiles at me with his eyes. His hand disappears into a bag and he takes out a small box, white and nearly shimmering. I don't have to guess what it is. I simply have to guess what it's made of. Every time he travels, Valor picks up a ring from somewhere, each time it's made of something different. I keep all of them on a necklace I wear 24/7. This time, it's made of a shimmering pink metal. He whispers in my ear and makes the hairs on my neck rise.

"It's from an asteroid, says the guy who sold it to me. I thought it was nearly as pretty as you."

I blush. Valor made me feel almost normal. He made me almost forget the twelve years of heavy gymnastics, martial arts, swimming, fencing, archery/riflery, and running that hardened my muscles and followed me around like a starving dog, always reminding me how abnormal I am. I want to spit, I am so disgusted by how wasted my life is. I could've been normnal. Valor made me consider running away and trying to be normal. But I knew I was corrupted by everything that'd ever happened to me. I allow him to remove my necklace, slip it on, then re-do the clasp. I try and brighten my mood.

"I have something of a surprise for you myself," I grin and pull him to my lab. Once it's unlocked, I strech on my toes and cover his eyes with my hands before I open the door. Artemis doesn't make a sound when he sees me leading Valor eagerly into the room. Instead, he shoots me a disgusted look, like he knows he's some sort of zoo animal. I shake it off and take my hands off Valor 's eyes. Slowly, he takes it all in and I watch the expression on his pretty, familiar face change. First, he is amused, then he spots Artemis and his eyebrows shoot to his hairline in surprise. He turns to me and asks softly,

"Is that...?" he trails off. Artemis fills in the silence.

"Hello. Yeah, Artemis Fowl Jr, nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but it seems I'm locked in an invisible box like a mime. But please don't let that disturb your oogling at my helplessness." He snaps like a whip. A very sarcastic whip. Valor purses his lips and steps behind me, as if afraid.

"Invisible box?" He asks me.

"Ah, yes," Artemis answers, "A level seven containment chamber, or so she says. It's imaginary." He throws in another mouthful of biting sarcasm. Valor 's shouders drop impatiently. I clear my throat.

"Uh, yeah. It's cerebral. You'll have to forgive him. I don't think he's a very nice person in general, but he's been here about a week, so he's a little crabby." I say, and he shifts his weight and crosses his arms.

"You imprisoned me here. I have plenty of reason to be upset with you. And you still haven't even bothered to tell me what you want with me. I'm miffed for a reason." He snaps. I'm getting tired of hearing him speak so rudely.

"Alright..." I let the word slide through my teeth as I elongate the 'i' sound and drag Valor out of the lab, because his face exposes his need to ask a few questions. Once we're back outside, he glances at the door and grabs my arms, then looks me in the eye.

"You captured Artemis Fowl?" he stares at me in disbelief.

"What? You don't think I could've done it?" I challenge him, and his expression softens.

"No, dear, that's not what I meant. I know you can, but _why?_" I shuffle my feet.

"Well, he's Artemis Fowl. He's got connections to everyone and everything." Valor tilts his head skeptically. "Okay," I look away, "Well, truthfully, I have a theory. He's got connections in so many places, and its rumored that he's been in touch with magical folk, so I figured if he really has, well, maybe humans can live in peace with them. They could help us advance." I pause and wait for laughter that never comes. I love Valor so much sometimes.

"You really think this will work?" He asks me, very seriously. I nod slowly, but shrug. Valor gives me a sympathetic look and grabs my hand.

"You can do anything you put your mind to." He tells me. My strength returns and I dash back to the lab still holding his hand.

When I open the door this time, I know I am ready.


	7. A Fail with Valiance

(Skippity-skip if you don't wanna read my author's notes)

Thanks to Wolfy, and Nosuchthingashappilyeverafter for the reviews.

As for "aaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhhh i hat," aka 'BOB,' I really don't know what that was, or what to say, so... um...

Review!

Love you all, TheModernChromatic.

*******

"So let me get this straight," Artemis paces about his confined area and rubs a hand over his face, "You captured me and you're the _good guy_?" He rests his forehead on one of his hands and then shakes his head, "You and your little group captured me, a high profile criminal and famed thief, just so that you could make the world a better place for humanity?" He lets out a short chuckle. "I'm sorry--wait, no I'm not-- but I just don't see how someone like yourself could go through so much trouble to capture me just to try and get in touch with a humanoid species that may or may not exist, and that I may or may not be able to contact."

"But, Artemis," Valor protests, using a tone he uses with me when he's trying to push me in my training, "We know that you know how to contact these people, and we know they exist. You're wasting time in here trying to convince us that they aren't there. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we let you go."

"Right, right. If you say so." Artemis, who is probably two years older and a few inches taller (though much thinner) than Valor, seems like such a child compared to him. "Well, if you and your little girlfriend are so brilliant and have me cooped up in a 'level seven containment chamber' then you should be able to help the human race without the help of non-humans."

"Hey," I insert, "Two heads are better than one." I need a pause to think of something to add to that but Artemis grabs my silence and fills it with cynical words.

"Ah, because you're so peace-able and good-hearted. No one is that selfless or altruistic. We're human beings. We put ourselves before everyone else, even the ones we think we love. I don't care if you are genetically enhanced and what not, you're still an imperfect being like the rest of us."

"If you're so unconcerned with what we do, then why don't you just tell us what we need to know so we can go about our buisness and leave you to yours?" Valor is suddenly standing in front of me, putting an arm in front of me and behind himself as if he's trying to protect me from Artemis, despite his invisible box.

"Because what you're trying to do is a bad idea. It's a very bad idea. The People are underground for a reason. Humans and magical beings just don't get along easily."

"What about you, huh?" Valor growls, "You don't seem to care about human/magical-being minglings going on when it concerns yourself."

"Hey, kid, listen. This isn't something to be messing around with."

"You're a selfish, sad, closed-minded rich kid."

"And I suppose that makes you a well-trained monkey hippie."

"At least I care about something other than myself. You won't bother to think outside your own needs and wants."

"You have no idea who I am or what I think about."

"I know enough to know that you won't even bother to share this world of possibilities with the other beings around you who I'm sure you don't even recognize as your own species!"

"I've been a lot of places you haven't. You're just kids, both of you, rookies. Get out while you still can," he shoots us a warning glare with his blue-and-hazel eyes.

After that is nothing but a long silence that makes me feel like Valor needs his own invisible box so that he can't hurt my prisoner. I look back and forth, from one angry face to another, awkwardly. The changes are so dynamic that I want to almost smile, but they're so angry I'm afraid to. Where Valor's face is a dark golden color, Artemis is all pale. Artemis's thin face , lightning blue/mud brown eyes, and thick brows contrast the fullness of Valor's face, with his high cheekbones, blazing hazel eyes, and thin eyebrows.

"So, um..." I start, and wrap both hands around one of Valor's wrists, "Valor and I are going to be outside while you think this over a bit..." I dig my heels into the ground and pull Valor out of the room with all my might. I lock the door to the laboratory behind me.

He's still fuming when I take a hold of him and catch his gaze.

"Valor. You don't need to be getting upset over something like this. Just stay out of the negotiations and leave it to me. It's just talking right now. I'll need you more later," I promise.

"So what? You're just going to let him boss you around like a child? You need me for this," he argues and he tries to push past me. I put up a hand to stop him.

"Woah, Valor, slow down. I hate to say this to you, but no, right now I don't need you. Just calm down."

He looks at me as if he expects me to shout out something that indicates I was joking or to laugh out loud. When I do nothing but stare at him, he scoffs and walks out the back door from the kitchen. I put a hand over my face and slump down in a chair at the kitchen table. I'm upset now that Valor has gone off on me and I sit at the table for a few moments before going back into my lab, satisfied that even if Valor comes back, he can't get into my lab.

"So, you back for more of my diatribe? Or are you going to put an electric collar on me like a dog this time so you can stare at me in silence until I decide to talk?"

"Look, Artemis. I don't appreciate the sarcasm--"

"I don't appreciate being locked in an invisibe box."

"I'm trying to help you and myself and everyone else who's out there, so just cut it out." I pause and look at him somberly, "Please, just cooperate with me. It's going to be better out there! You've got the information and contacts we need, all we need is you to give them to us."

He looks at me as if I'm totally insane for the longest time, every second making my hope fade even more.

"Alright. I'll do what I can," he finally says, and at which point I've let my gaze fall away from him. I look back at him right away and he repeats it, as if to assure himself.

"I'll do what I can."


	8. Cliffhanging Potential

(And, you can always skip to the good parts)

Okay guys, I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I recently found my flash drive with my novel on it, so I've been a little pre-occupied.

Also, I haven't checked my email in forever, so if you reviewed or subscribed, thanks. Unless it was a negative review. For that, I give you a frowny face. :(

Please review!

Love you all, TheModernChromatic.

*******

Butler sat back against the wall like a great fallen tree, decayed and defeated, yet still grand and gigantic. His huge shoulders slumped in defeat, and he hung his head to the setting sun, the scrap of fabric he discovered still in his hand. It didn't matter that he was hungry and needed water badly. Those, he thought, were just burdens he didn't need. Artemis was his main priority, and he was missing right now. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to get Artemis back. This was more than just a job. Without Artemis there to guide him, he could think of but one thing to do.

Hours later, he found himself pacing about Artemis's quarters, scratching his chin and wishing he had something other than a scrap of fabric to track down a potential murderer. He sat himself on the floor and closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened.

There was the guests--there was so many of them! And all of them deceitful and sinister in their own way, enough to gain attention from the Fowl family. But no, he'd been monitoring Artemis so he'd only have to make an appearance, and not socialize with anyone. Artemis hated socializing. But he didn't mind the corners, or the punch-bowl. That was where they'd been. By the punch bowl. Then, there was the blackness--could that be from unconciousness? Nay, there was still adrenaline in that blackness... the lights must have gone out. And there was the knife--he'd had the knife out in case.

Whoever had gotten to him blindsided him though, because Butler found himself unable to conjure up anything more. All he had now was a scrap of green fabric. What had he missed, letting his guard down like that? Surely he'd have seen any possible assailants. But no. All he had was green fabric and one option. He had to contact the only people able to track down Artemis where ever he might be. _The_ People.

*******

"Hold still, would you?" I say, tugging on River's hair, "I can't work with you moving like that!" River seemed to growl at me but stopped pulling away.

Here was I, Sofie Hart, getting a fork out of River's ridiculously glossy, smooth, perfect, yet tangle-able hair. A fork that Artemis Fowl had oh-so-cleverly thrown at me. Naturally, River jumped forward to take the hit--she'd been working as a bodyguard for several months now that her cases had stopped coming in.

Inside my lab, Artemis was still laughing in spite of himself.

Currently, I was learning two important things: don't pressure Artemis when he's been locked up for an extended period of time, and don't give him shit-oatmeal with a metal fork in it. That, and shit-oatmeal can adhere itself to anything, including River's hair. Better make that three important things.

"Argh!" River howls, as she yanks her head away from my hand.

"I've had it with that little brat." Spat River, massaging water into her hair trying to get the oatmeal out. I stared dumbly at the fork in my hand, the tips still covered in hair and oatmeal. There's the slightest patch of hair missing from River's head.

"Hi-ho!" cries a loud voice from the depths of the main room. I wince a bit as River turns, hoping the fork in my hand isn't about to be embedded in my neck along with River's hair by owner of that said hair. Luckily, I am saved by Rasta, who bursts into the room with his usual cheeriness.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite girls," he grins, and messes with our hair, "Sofie, dear, how's that crabby little Artemis Fowl behaving for you?"

"Like a crab," River supplies, rubbing the back of her head.

"He threw a fork in her hair." I shrug.

Rasta's booming laugh shakes the house.

"Not cooperating then, eh?" He chuckles.

"Actually," says I, "He just got a little impatient. He's fine other than that."

"What do you mean?" Rasta asks, furrowing his brow, all traces of laughter gone. This is clearly not what he expected.

"I mean he's willing to help us."

Rasta says nothing. He simply walks out of the room.

Seconds later, he comes back in.

"So you're saying he's going to help us?"

"Yeah, she said that, in case you missed it the first time," River says.

"You know what this means?"

"Uh..." I look around, confused.

"It means he's going to trick us."


	9. The Plot Thickens

(Hum de dum. Feel free to skip)

Hey guys, thanks for reading and reviewing. I've been super buisy lately, so my posts have been getting spaced farther and farther apart. But 'd like to thank all of you for reading; I had 1,001 hits on my story last month alone!

Thanks so much!

Read and Review.

With love, TheModernChromatic.

*******

For Holly Short, Artemis Fowl was a name associated with many things. For one, he was a pain in the neck. Two, he was diabolical and brilliant. Three, he had a nose for trouble, and not the Commander Kelp kind. Learning that he was in trouble again was no surprise to her. However, it seemed strange that anyone would be able to kidnap the famed criminal boy, especially with big, bad Butler around. Once she learned of his absence, Holly took off to investigate immediately. Artemis was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Butler!" Cried the fairy, seeing the large human man again. "What is this I'm hearing about Artemis being missing?" The bodyguard, who had been staring at the ground, looked up.

"He's been kidnapped." The man grunted gruffly.

"I figured that," Holly says, tapping a small foot, "But how did this happen? When, and where?"

"It all happened here, right under my nose."

"How?" Holly repeats.

"I don't really remember. Someone must've killed the lights, and I wasn't on my guard, and I got caught with a sedative or something. I'm not even sure what day it is anymore."

"It's the 28th," Holly says patiently. Butler smashes a mighty fist into the wall beside him.

"The party," he grunts, "It was on the 24th." Holly gives a blue/hazel-eyed sympathehtic look. Butler shivers at Artemis's blue eye staring him down from Holly's pretty fairy face.

"All I have for clues is a scrap of fabric," says the big man gloomily. Holly brightens up. If there's anyone who can track down Artemis Fowl with nothing but a piece of cloth, it's Foaly. Holly extends a small hand.

"Let me see the fabric."

*******

"So what you're saying," I muse, rubbing a hand over my face, "Is that you have no way to contact these people? You're just going to wait around until they come looking for you?"

Artemis smirks. "Of course. They'll come for me, don't worry. Butler won't go long with me missing. And sure as ever, Holly will come looking for me."

"So you have no real plan then," I rub at my eyes. I can feel a headache coming on. "You're just going to sit around and wait!"

Artemis nods contentedly.

I traipse about the lab in a negative mood, tugging on my hair and muttering to myself about how incomplete my plan was.

"Why so fractious?" Artemis asks innocently, peering at me from within his invisible prison.

It catches me off guard, hearing him so inquisitive and yet so innocent with him bordering on smug. "What?" I ask, unsure of myself.

"Fractious," he explains, "Irritable, snappish, cranky."

"I know what it means," I say, waving a hand at him, "But why ask?"

"Well, it's just that I can't do anything in here, and you can't do anything towards your cause, so..."

"So, what?"

"Um..."

"Are you suggesting that I let you out?"

Artemis fidgets a bit on the bench in his containment chamber.

"Artemis. You're the only leverage I have for these people. My only chance. I'm not going to just let you out."

"How could you suggest such duplicity from me?!" He looks shocked, as if offended.

"You're a world-class, underage criminal. Children like us want what's best for us and only us. We're selfish. Of course I accuse you of 'duplicity'."

"So that's what it all comes down to then? You want the People and humans to form a relationship for _your_ life to get better. You really don't care about anyone else, do you?"

"Sure. I don't give a damn about what happens to anyone else. Yeah. Maybe that's why I want the world to be better, maybe it is just for me. But maybe it's not. I'm happy when other people are happy, unlike you."

"What, I'm a thief one second and suddenly I'm heartless the next?" He's as close to his perimeter as he can get without hurting himself, "You don't know me. You don't care. You've locked me in an invisible box! You need to just stop this. I can't do anything more than I'm already doing from where I am."

The air sits in the room with an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry," I say suddenly.

"Me too." Artemis says. I am suprised again.

*******

Somewhere far away, in a place very dark and cold, an old enemy has also learned of Artemis's disappearance. And it's given her hope, bubbling hope and new, deadly plans.


	10. A gem of a gal

Okay guys! I know it's been a really long time since I've posted anything, but with spring, and pneumonia, and then asthma, and now a buttload of tests at school and a new boyfriend, I've had zero time for writing.

I promise to post a lot sooner, and it will be much longer. I just needed to post something, since I now have a teeny bit of time.

Thanks to everyone who subscribed or reviewed! I love you guys!

BTW! I was also voted "Best Writer" at school for our yearbook. You're in good hands.

Please review and subscribe! :D

Love you all, TheModernChromatic

*******

I sit myself back in a chair and massage my eyes with my thumbs. I have such a painful, pressured, throbbing headache I just want to sleep for an eternity. But I don't have that option. Artemis was too buisy explaining the perils of the People's abilities to use magic, and even though he talked softly and eloquently, it was still mindless blather to me.

"Artemis," I finally interrupt him, "I know this is important, but I have a major headache right now. Can it wait?"

He looks at me coldly for a fraction of a second, but then gives me a warning glance and simply shrugs. "Suit yourself," and is silent after that.

I enjoy the silence a great deal more than I should and find myself wondering why. The thought passes like an overhead cloud; only shadowing me for a brief moment, and then I slump over in my chair, lethargically. After that, all goes out with the blackness of sleep.

*******

"Artemis Fowl Junior," hisses a menacing, innocent-type female voice from a corner of the room. The lab has gone black; the lights run based on the amount of physical activity in the room. After Sofie had fallen asleep, Artemis sat himself contendedly in the back of his perimeter. Whoever it was (though Artemis knew from the voice) moved forward, and the lights came back on with a snap. Sofie didn't stir the slightest bit.

But instead, there stood a tiny, delicate figure in the surprisingly bright light of the lab. One could have easily mistaken the figure for that of a child. Yet, the look on the little thing's face was nothing of a child. It was a look of pure hatred, and pure eagerness at the same time.

"Enjoying your little vacation, Artemis?" asks the little thing in a mocking tone. Artemis wipes away the passing wave of shock and speaks.

"Why yes, Opal Koboi, I am."


	11. Floating Hatred

Okay, so this chappie is a bit short too, but my laptop crashed recently, and I lost all my work. I assure you, something BIG will be coming. As soon as I think of it... :D

But, enjoy, and relax, because there's no cliff hanger this time.

Subscribe and Review!

Love you all, TheModernChromatic.

*******

From anyone else's point of view, a venomous look from a pixie as small as Opal Koboi was surprisingly frightening. But of course, Artemis was amused by the little creature's hating glares.

"What big eyes you have, grandma," he chuckled and leaned casually against the wall behind him.

Opal, however was not amused and wordlessly shot Artemis with the same knock-out method she'd used on Sophie. Artemis fell to the ground.

Much struggling and frustration followed, and so did the re-awakening of Artemis.

"So, granny dear, have you found how hard it is for you to open up your mouth and eat me this time?" He retorted, just waking up.

Opal screamed furiously. But still said nothing. She simply glared and growled under her breath. Then, on her little pixie feet, she paced--or rather stomped--about the room, occasionally stopping to bang her tiny fist on something.

"It does you no good to keep her knocked out," Artemis interjected, casually jerking his head towards Sophie, "She's the only key to my 'release'."

Opal gave an infuriated questioning look in silence, and it occurred to Artemis that she couldn't speak. How clever, he thought to the sleeping Sofie, to mute the voice of the enemy.

"Ah, yes. _That_ minor detail. Did I leave that out? Oh, silly human me." Artemis laughed fakely, "Well, it would seem I'm in a bit of a pickle here. There's no getting me out of this invisible box without the key. Level seven containment center, says sleeping princess over there. So, good luck to you without her." He smiled nonchalantly and picked at his nails. Or rather pretended to. How could he ever do such a detrimental thing since he'd retired them of their adventures and gone back to his soft, familiar, pianist-manicure look.

Not bothering with the antidote, Opal kicked at Sofie with her little feet of evil until she awoke and fell from her chair.

*******

It was like waking to a dream, was my first thought. The second was followed by something much more logical. One cannot wake to a dream consisting of slumber. It started with the bright lights of my lab blinding my eyes and was reared with stinging pains in my side. First, I was confused. How could Artemis be hurting me outside of his perimeter? How could anyone else have gotten in without me? Then, through the blinding light, I saw the little angelic face.

At first, I was too stunned to do anything. The little face was so stunning and inhuman I couldn't make sense of it. And then I felt the little foot that went with the little face ram itself into my side. Again.

"Mother of fuck!" I cry out, somewhat involuntarily.

"Hello to you too," says Artemis cheerily.

"Oh shit, who _are_ you?" I back myself into a corner wearily and blindly grab at my desk for something to defend myself with. I settle on the fork with oatmeal and tufts of River-hair on it.

"She won't be able to answer you, loves, she's muted."

For a second, I have no idea what Artemis is talking about, until I remember activating one of my first protocol inventions. It was Valor's fault of course. It prevented any unwanted or threatening conversations, unless programmed otherwise. And it malfunctioned. A LOT.

"Uh..." I shuffle about the room, still wearily holding the fork and watching the little kicking demon. Hesitantly, I shut it off.

And suddenly, I'm being attacked by a small, wriggling, screaming being. In addition to that, I had dropped my fork. Forgetting my endless years of torturous, tedious fight training, I screamed and crawled away, throwing things at the little terror behind me. One of the things to hit her was my portero ray gun, sending her flying to the ceiling lightly.

One thing I hate most in my lab is flies. They're such dirty, disgusting creatures, and they bother me to no end. So, the entire ceiling of my lab is hyper-charged with electricity designed to kill the little beasts and vaporize their bodies. But this too is defective sometimes. Perhaps it was luck that the little pixie wasn't vaporized, or perhaps her mass was too much. Maybe it just didn't hurt pixies. Either way, the little thing hung suspended in midair, unconcious.

I shuddered, and Artemis applauded softly.

I turned on him.

"What on earth are you clapping for?! She almost killed me and you're clapping?!"

"You don't understand," he laughs, "that's Opal Koboi, criminal mastermind of the underworld. And you just outsmarted her."

"I wouldn't say 'outsmarted'. I didn't mean to, it just happened. Besides, I was defending myself."

"Well, either way, I applaud you," and he clapped again.

A few sparks fell from around the pixie where the electricity was still struggling to vaporize her.

"You'd better let her down now," Artemis warns.

"Why's that? I like her much better up there," I say, rubbing my ribs.

"Because," he says, and makes eye contact with me, "If you singe her hair, she _will_ kill you."


	12. Wicked

First, I would like to say, I am SO sorry for keeping everyone waiting for this. I lost the USB it was on (and I literally tore up my room searching for it) and now that I've found it, Sofie is back!

Thanks to everyone for subscribing, and if you didn't, well you should!

Comment, review, SUBSCRIBE! TheModernChromatic is always cranking out more madness! Don't miss a bit!

Love you all, TheModernChromatic

* * *

This time, I was under much more stress. Having ran out of my concoction of tranqulizers, and entirely unwilling to test anything new on a deadly, fragile foe, I was forced to go with a more frankenstein method. She was still unconcious from my failed vaporizer, but I strapped her to my lab table regardless of her incapacity. Carefully, I calculate her mass and set a perimeter in my computer. Then, I turn to Artemis reluctantly.

"The matter in which I have to lock her in her perimeter requires that the room be empty of all other bodies, should the mass throw off my computer's calculations." I hesitate, knowing Artemis will be thrilled with the victory I'm about to give him. "So, I have to..."

"Release me?" He asks, expectantly.

"Not quite," I say, "However, I expected more difficulty in keeping you locked away, so I prepared a second perimeter for you." I venture cautiously into his prison and move his foot away from a tile on the floor. I scan my palm print and retina on the scanners hidden beneath it and push Artemis up against a the wall as the floor opens out from where he was standing. Then, I escape his reach and stand looking down at the opening in the floor.

"There's a second perimeter in my storage room, with a bathroom for you. Go ahead and walk over the hole. I'll activate the second perimeter and you'll fall, but then it will magnetize you into the next perimeter. You won't touch the ground until you're safe."

He gives a skeptical look but strides over to the edge of the hole and then tries to jump in. I can't react fast enough to stop him. He stops abruptly and I fall into a fit of laughter.

"What the hell?" He rubs his backside, wincing, and pounds on the empty air above the hole where he's sitting, suspended above the ground.

"The perimeter isn't just where the walls don't reach. It's literally a box; if all the walls fell down around you, you still couldn't get out of it, not through any of the sides, not the top, nor the bottom. That's what makes it a level seven."

"It defies physics!" He protests and stamps his foot as if to prove his point.

"Or does it?" I ask in return. "Your body cannot physically remove itself from the perimeter without release from your mind, and gravity is no exception. You can't leave because your body won't allow you."

"Alright, Elphaba. You defy gravity. Now put me in that second box before I burst into song."

I frown at his cynical remark and begin typing in code for the second perimeter. "Suit yourself," I say and hit the enter key, loving the look on his face as the floor disappears from under him. I hear a muted thud a few seconds later and then climb into the cavity myself.

"You put a mattress on the wall?" He asks, rubbing his head.

"Can't have you splattered all over my storage room, now can I?" I say with a wink. I unlatch the mattress discretely, watching it fall on Artemis.

"Hey!" He growls and rolls out from under it as best he can, hitting the perimeter in the process.

"Nighty-night!" I say and climb back up the ladder, shutting off the lights as I go.


	13. Last Night On Earth

Hey guys! Sofie's really getting a lot of attention! 150 hits, just today! It seems to me you really like her! My attention is now very much away from school and boys, [X-P] so you'll be seeing a lot more of Sofie!

Hope you like it! Btw, this chapter was inspired by Green Day's _Last Night on Earth_, so give it a listen while you read!

Comment, review, SUBSRIBE! TheModernChromatic is always cranking out more madness! Don't miss a bit!

Love you all! TheModernChromatic.

* * *

"Sofie!" Valor bangs on the door to my lab as I'm entering the evil little pixie's calculations, "Please come out, Sofie! You've been in there forever! I just want to talk."

"Valor," I call back, slightly annoyed, "I'm in the middle of something. Can you wait?" I continue typing out code. First, a layer of binary (8 bit) and then a little java, just to get the program right. Valor gives the door one last defeated bang and it goes silent outside my lab.

I glance over the pixie once more and find her peacefully unconscious. I almost allow myself to call her 'cute' while sleeping. Cursed estrogen... I hit the last few keys and activate the beam, having aimed it at her large, membranous forehead. Slowly, so as not to off-set the calculations, I back out of the room and close the door behind me. I'm still walking backwards when I hit a wall.

Valor is standing right behind me, looking upset with his arms crossed. "Sofie..." he trails off, looking slightly hurt. He places his hands on my arms. I tilt my head a little.

"What." I say, flatly, not hurtfully, just expressionlessly.

"You're certainly spending a lot of time in there. With out me. Alone. With Artemis."

"Valor," I look at him bluntly, "I told you, I don't need you getting involved. You'll only make the situation worse; you really don't get along with-"

"Cut your crap Sofie." He snaps. It's so painfully cold that I stop mid-sentence.

"Valor..." I look at him, hurt. "What is it with you? You've never treated me like this!"

"C'mon, Sofie. I'm not an idiot. If you think I can't see what's going on here, you're the idiot."

"Valor! What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _you_?" He snaps back. His biting remarks went straight to me.

"I don't know what you're ranting about, but go PMS somewhere else. Unlike you, I have work to do."

"Yeah, work." He scoffs.

"What the hell are you talking about Valor?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You don't spend hours at a time alone with Artemis because you're interrogating him. You aren't in there having stimulating conversations with him; in fact, I think the only 'stimulation' going on is-"

"Valor!" I cry out, finally seeing what he means, "How could you suggest I would do anything like that?"

"Beats me. How could you even stand to look at me while you're in there enjoying your prisoner? Or is this just part of the experiment?"

"Val..." I say, so painfully overwhelmed and on the verge of crying.

"Just forget it Sofie. Goodbye. I'll see you again when you realize your mistake."

And he leaves, just like that. I slump down against my lab door and rest my face on my knees. I hear the door slam behind him and that's the final straw. The tears spill over. I don't know how long this goes on, but I'm too cramped to stand when Rasta finds me. He scoops me up in his burly bear arms and begins to yell for Mama, who rushes in and adopts a broken look when she sees me. Rasta sets me on a couch in the main room and then recruits two of the beef-buffs to go find Valor 'Dead or alive'. Even River and Simon come out and help me. I unlock the lab tearily so they can feed Artemis and check on the demon pixie.

I crawl back to the couch and sit helplessly. My eyes are so dry, I simply stare at the wall, hopelessly. I've run out of tears. I've run out of hope. I've run out of desire to work. Quietly, I call attention to River, who, opposite Mama, is holding my hand.

She puts a hand on my shoulder and gives me a concerning look.

"What is it, baby?" She asks, sweetly. Even River could be kind when necessary.

I give her a sorrowful look.

"Let Artemis go."


	14. The walls come crashing down

Hello friends and fans! I know Sofie was kind of downer in the last chapter, but I promise you, it's all a part of my master plan. I love that I'm getting all these hits on it, but come on guys and gals! I wanna hear what you think! Leave a comment, review it! Give me some constructive criticism! Everyone was going mad in the first few months I wrote this!

(BTW, if anyone has any opinion on Artemis and Sofie in a position where Artemis replaces Valor, drop me a note!) (Yes, no? Maybe so?)

Comment, review, SUBSRIBE! TheModernChromatic is always cranking out more madness! Don't miss a bit!

Love you all! TheModernChromatic.

* * *

About two hours into my spiraling depression, I remember some of my combat tactics to concealing expression. Slowly, I tap into an inner chi I acquired when prepping myself for a fight. I close my eyes calmly and try to forget everything. I am in an oasis of nothingness; a null, void area of the mind. My meditation is disrupted by the door slamming in the kitchen. Against my better judgement, I open my eyes after a few seconds of returning to reality.

Lefty and Rufus stand before me, Mama, and River, each holding onto an arm of a slumped-over, half-concious, bashed-up mess of a person whom I'm pleased to see is supposed to be Valor. Rufus, Lefty's younger (but not smaller, or less muscular) brother, straps a device around his forehead. It's one of my first neurological inventions; a breakthrough for me. I based it's calculations off of brain mass, and then targeted the nervous system, I remember fondly. It's an interrogation device, meant to cause the wearer physical pain in the weakest spot found by the device, in the most painful way possible. Even men like Lefty and Rufus couldn't hold their own against it for much; I made it for efficiency.

Seeing it on Valor's bruised and bloodied face was the equivalent to seeing a favorite weapon that had majorly backfired on you held over flames; (granted, that wouldn't end well if you favored explosives...) there is remorse, and there is vengence. Simon, who'd never had much of a fraternity with Valor anyways, hands me the remote and whispers: "Make him dance."

I stare at the alien device in my hand, look back at Simon, and then to Valor, who seems to now be vaguely aware of what's happening. His eyes flutter open and shut quickly, and he summons the energy to look my in the eye. "Sof..." He begs. I am filled with an overflow of emotion; something well-hidden by years of building a facade to hide behind. I close my eyes and throw the remote to the ground with enough force to break it into pieces. Instead, River catches it before it can break, and I get up and leave. My lab door shuts just as River give the remote a few warming triggers for good measure.

The demon pixie is awake now, and does not seem pleased. "You!" She screeches when she sees me, and she dives for me. I can even rouse myself to laugh as she crashes face-first into her barrier. She lets loose a stream of incoherent language, and I hit my computer (not literally) which, upon picking up the sound waves buisily works on translating it.

"Sorry pup." I say, lifelessly, "But you aren't getting out of there anytime soon. I think a little alone time will do you some good. You just keep yelling in your little language and I'll be back when you decide to cooperate with me." And I open the floor to Artemis's hidden chamber.

"Good evening." Says he in a Transylvanian accent, pulling his jacket up to conceal part of his face.

"I'm letting you go." I say flatly, not bothering to amuse myself with the surprise on his face.

"Now why would you do that, hm? You successfully captured a world-class criminal with a monster bodyguard and a record for getting out of impossible situations, _and_ you captured a criminal pixie wanted by the authorities of more than one species and you're just going to let me go? That doesn't seem in the habit of collectors."

"I'm not a collector. I just wanted to make the world a little better. But now that I see that its inhabitants are too doltish to be helped, I think I'll just watch it burn with everyone else."

Artemis looks at me silently and sits on his mattress. "I heard what you and Calvin or whatever his name were arguing about." He looks doleful.

"It doesn't matter. It just made me realize that even the elites of a species can't be helped. We are what we are."

Artemis looks unamused. He scoots a little to his right and pats the mattress beside him with one hand. "Have a seat." He commands.

"What do I look like, an imbecile? No thanks." And I stand right outside his perimeter.

"What would benefit me from hurting you? No one else knows I'm here, nor could they access the lab with you dead inside it. Even if they could, they couldn't even power up your computer without the passwords, and I'm certain your encriptions far exceed the norm. Therefore, with you dead, I am stuck in the same six-by-six area for the rest of my life, and everything after. Sit."

My shoulders fall as I sigh, and I sit down next to him. He turns to me and looks me right in the eye. I meet his gaze for a second, and then his hand flies to my cheek. He strikes me so quickly, and so suddenly that I can't be bothered to even react until he's giving me a cynical look. I put my hand to my face and feel it growing warmer under my fingers.

"What the hell was that for?" I say softly, stunned.

"For being human. Forgive my need to correct you, but you _are_ genetically altered, are you not?"

"I am, yes, but I'm still mostly human."

"So be everything you are, not what you mostly are. You _are_ a superior being, so act like it. Stop being such a bitch and moping around like a fat maid without anyone to court her. You don't need a human, because you aren't one, so if you would _give it a rest_..."

"I'm only reacting to what I feel."

"Well you're above what you feel for god's sake! You're sickening me, being so futile-look at me! I'm a prisoner giving my captor a pep talk!"

"Meh." I say weakly, and collapse onto the mattress behind me. Artemis stands.

"Get up before I kick you." He commands, nudging me with his fancy loafers, "Or worse; I'll put my sweaty v-neck in your face. You realize I've been here for over a week and I haven't changed my clothes once?"

Grudgingly, I get up and look at him half-heartedly. "Now what."

"Now, if you're going to let me out, do it, but I can tell you I won't be much help confined in this place."

"Help?"

"Yes, oh brilliant one, help. I am going to help you, whether you like it or not, because, believe it if you will, this world can be changed. And you're just the person to do it."

"I'm still not sure what you mean."

"I mean," Artemis says, "I am going to help you contact The People."


End file.
